Flitting-truck or trolley for coal-cutting machines



Aug. 31 1926. v G. RIMMER FLITTING TRUCK 0R TROLLEY FOR COAL CUTTING MACHINES Filed June 16 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 31 1926. 1,598,105

G. RIMMER FLITTING TRUCK 0R TRdLLEY FOR COAL CUTTING MACHINES Filed June 16 1924 2 sheets sheet 2 Patented Aug. 31, 1926..

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GILBERT Etienne, or eams, ENGLAND, assrenoaro seamen unanimity 00M PANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, a CORPORATION;

Furriers-TRUCK on TROLLE'Y non coat-CUTTING M CHINES? Applic'ation'filed June 16,1924, Serial No. 720,419, and in GreatBritain' September 21, 19 2 3.

This invention relates to flitting-trucks or trolleys for coal-cutting machines.

The present invention provides a truck ortrolley having a' frame or platform construoted to receive and support a coal-cutting machine, combined with an aindriven,

motor independent of saidcoal-cutting machine mounted on said trolley and a driving connection between said motor and the trolley wheels.

in one form of the invention the flittingtruck ortrolley' comprises two or more pairs of wheels, a trameor platform supported by said wheels and having a portion of the frame," including that part which overlies the wheel base, arranged to receive and support a coal-cutting machine,an air-driven motor independent of the coal cutting ma chine mounted on the frame or platform aforesaid beyondone end of the w'heel base, and driving connection between said motor and the trolley-wheels.

Inone well-known type of cutting machine the cutting" operation is effected by an endless chain armed with cutting tools or pic ts and driven round the margin of a'jib, which-jib is pivoted at one end of the body ofthe machine and is capable of being slewedin a horizontalplane. trolley arranged to support a coal-cutting machine ofthe above type is, according to this invention, characterized in that the frame or platform 01 the trolley, at that end remote iroin the trolley-propelling motor, is so constructed as to permit of the slewing of the'jib and of the operation-oft to controlthe transmission of the motor" drive. By thismecha nism the-trolley may be" driven in either" directiomor the motor drive may de disconnected from the trolley wheels, whichever" cond tion 1s-requ1-red.-

A further feature" of the present iii-verntion' coinpri'sesthe' combination -of a flitting trolley asd'escri'bed 5 above, with a" winding drum mounted on" the I trolley frame u and" adriving' connection betweenthe trolle propelling-meter and" said: winding-drum.

A truck or The purposeof' this winding-drum willbe hereinafter explained.

The foregoing and other features of the invention will be better understood from the following description, given by Way of example, of one preferred embodiment.

Reference will'be made to the accompanyingdrawings (largely diagrammatic), in which- Figures 1, 2 and 3 show the trolley in side elevation, plan and end elevation re spectively; InFigure lthe position of the coal-cutting machine when mounted on'the trolley is indicated in chain lines.

Like referencenumerals indicate 1 like parts in the three views;

The trolley comprises an openrectangular frame 10 supported up'ontwo pairs of Wheels 11 12 spaced apart one behind the other and running on rail's40. The frame atone end (hereinafter termed the tail=end) extends considerably beyond the wheel-base and is arranged toic'arry at said end a trolley propellingmotor 13. The side members of the frame are angle iron bars, the horizontal flanges of which constitute ledges-to receive and support a coal-cutting machine.

The driving mechanism ofthe' trolley is arranged as follows :The prime-mover 18 is an air-driven motor constructed'andoperating. substantially in the manner of' the hoisting mechanism described in United States Specification No. 430,211, filed Dec. 13, 1920, that is to say, the motor and reduction gearing therefor areenclosedwithin a drum rotatable by said motor. This unit is as shown mounted at the tail-end of the trolley frame, with the axis of the drumdisposed atright-angles to thelength' Wise direction of the frame, that is with thedrum'airis parallel to'the axles of the trolley-wheels: The motor 'driven drum" is carried by: underslungbTZLClIGtS:"14 tied" to the sidemembers 'ofthe trolley frame- Ro tation of theidrum is transmitted" to the trolley-wheels through mechanism com:- prisingtwo shafts" 15, 16 parallel to tlie drum a'xisand" located 01'16 '21l3'fi higher level than tlre"other-"and both" inefiontoft the capable of rotating freely upon the shaft;

The spur-wheel 21 is in mesh with a similar wheel 23 fast upon the upper shaft and the sprocket 22 is chain-driven from a similar sprocket 24 on the upper shaft. As will a be seen the arrangement is such that the spur-wheel 21 and chainsprocket 22 on the lower shaft are rotated in opposite direct-ions by theirrespective driving connections with the upper shaft. Mounted in the lower shaft between the aforesaid spurwheel 21 and sprocket 22 is a clutch-member 25 rotatable with the shaft but capable of axial sliding movement thereon. The clutch-member 25 on movement to one side is adapted to engage the spur-wheel 21 and on movement to the other side to engage the chain-sprocket 22 while in its mid position both spur-wheel andchain-sprocket are free. The two trolley-wheel axles are interconnected by a driving chain 31, and the rearmost axle is driven by a chain 32 from the lower shaft 16.

The position of the clutch-member is controlled by a lever 26 at the tail-end of the trolley frame. The lever 26 is connected at its lower end to a spindle 27 which is car ried by brackets 28 depending from the trolley frame and engaging the ends of the spindle. Support for the spindle is also afforded by the motor-supporting brackets 14. through the lowerflanges of which the spindle is threaded. Connected to the spindle 27 at that end remote from the control lever 26 are two radial arms 29 provided at their outer endswith studs 30 which project in a direction towards one another and engage in a circumferential groove on the clutch member 25. In the mid position of the. lever 26 (shown in Figure 3) the clutch member 25 is also in its mid position and there is therefore no drive to the trolley wheels. Movement of the lever to the right or to the left causes the clutch to engage the spur-wheel 21 or the chain sprocket 2 2 and the trolley to be propelled in either the forward or reverse direction. The lever 26 may be locked in any one of its three positions say by a pin passed through the lever at 31 and entered in one of three holes in the cross member at the tail "of the trolleyframe.

The motor-driven drum 13, in addition to transmitting motion to the trolley-wheels, is adapted, when required, to serve as a winding-drum. here the road over which the trolley is to be flitted is of steep gradient it may not be-possible to obtain sufficient tractive effort from the trolley-wheels. In such cases a haulage-cable (not shown), e. g. a wire rope, may be attached at one end to that portion of the winding-drum which is not occupied by the chain sprocket 18 and at its free end to'an anchor positioned at any convenient distance in front of the trolley. On rotation of the winding-drum the trolley would then be caused to haul itself along the rope.

The trolley, in the example'at present un der consideration, is designed to flit a coa1- cutting machine of the aforesaidtype in which a pivoted jib is carried at one end of the body of the machine. As shown in chain lines in Figure 1 the machine 33 when loaded on the trolley lies lengthwise along the frame -of the latter and over the wheel-base, the jib section'34 being outermost, i. e. at that end of the frame remote from the trolley-propelling motor. The trolley will be so de signed with regard to the spacing of the trolley-wheels, the extent'to which the tailend of the machine projects beyond the wheel-base and the position of the propelling mechanism on said projection, that the moment applied by said propelling mechanism will be balanced by the weight of the cutting machine acting over the wheel-base.

The trolley described above may/be employed solely for flitting purposes, or in addition it may be used as a support for the cutting machine while the latter is in operation, that is to say, the machine may be moreor less permanently mounted upon the trolley. In the latter casethe trolley is necessarily so constructed as to permit of the operation of the cutting machine while the latter is mounted on the trolley frame. To this end the vertical flanges of the side members of the frame, at the front end thereof, are cut away at 35 so as to allow of the swinging movement of the pivoted jib 34 through an angle of approximately 180,

that is from a position on one side of the frame at right-angles to the body of the machine to a similar position on the other side of the frame. The cutting machine may be of the well-known type in which propulsion of the machine, along a face, while the cutting operation is in progress, is effected by a chain along which the machine hauls itself;.and in which the slewing of the jib is also effected by the haulage chain. In one such machine there are chain sprockets at the corners of the haulage section around which, or aroundone' of which, the chain in some circumstances is required to pass. One of the corner sprockets is indicatedat 36 in Figure 1. When the above machine is supported on the trolley the corner chain sprockets would lie below the top of the side members of the trolley frame, and in order to afford ample clearance for the passage of the chain -aroundthese sprockets and to ensure i the proper. operation a of the latter-.3 notchedii recesses -1 37 are cut in: the vertical 5 flanges of .the side membersiof.:thecframe att positions i adjacent tor; the corner sprockets.

A'trucl'cor trolley constructed accordingzto the presentinventioniiis primarily intended. for use in: .colli'eries where. the cutting .machines are driveir by compressed air, themo tivc fluid for the.trolleyJropellingmotor being. :obtained. from the same source as that serving the cutting machines themselves In. practice the trolleyspropelling motor will' "be of. considerably smaller horse power than that of the cuttingmachine motor, and an air hose of. comparatively small d=iameterin1 relation to'that of the hose servingithe motor. of the cuttin'gfmachine-will be employed. to supply the trolley "motor. For-example cutting machine.provided. withra. 305O h. p. air-motor. and requiring a supply hose of at least two inchesin diameter canbe .flitted on atrolley made according tothe present invention and provided witlr-an'air-motor turbi1 1e:of 81O h. p; served with a hose of inch inch in diameter. Considering: the .narrow confines ofa: colliery it is obviously an advantage to be able to use a small diameter hose for flitting purposes.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the detailed construction described above. Thus the trolleypropelling motor can be replaced by any other convenient form of air-driven motor, and similarly the clutch-and-reversing mech anism may be modified without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A flitting trolley for a coal-cutting machine comprising in combination a frame carried upon wheels and constructed to receive and support a coal-cutting machine an air-driven motor independent of said coalcutting machine and mounted on the trolley frame, and a driving connection between said motor and the trolley wheels including a power transmitting element surrounding said motor.

2. A flitting trolley for a coal-cutting machine comprising in combination a frame carried upon wheels and constructed to receive and support a coal-cutting machine, an air-driven motor independent of said coal-cutting machine and mounted on the trolley frame, and a driving connection between said motor and the trolley wheels in cluding a power transmitting element surrounding said motor and rotating on an axis parallel to the truck wheel axes.

3. A flitting trolley for a coal-cutting machine comprising in combination a plurality of pairs of wheels, a frame supported by said wheels and having a portion of its upper surface, including that part which overlies the wheel-base, arranged to receive and support acoal-cutting machine, an airdrivenmotor independent ofsthe coalecutting... machine :mounted :on the trolley frame'-be'- yond' one end of the wheel-base, and a driving connection between I said motor and the trolleywheels.

L A1flittingztrolleyfor a coal-cutting machine comprising; in combination" a J frame mountedon wheels and'constructed to re ceive and support the coal-cutting.machine' and. to pc mitof the operation of the masch ne, to effect cutting, WhllBfSO supportede an air-driven motorindependent of SdlCl cutting machine mounted" on; the trolley frame, and a1 driving: connection: between 7 said motor and the trolley wheels including a power transmitting element surrounding said motor and rotating on an axis parallel to the truck wheel axes. I

6. A flitting trolley for a coal-cutting machine of the pivoted-jib type comprising a plurality of pairs of wheels, a frame carried by said wheels, arranged to support the coalcutting machine over the wheel-base, and so formed at that end which will be adjacent the machine jib as to permit of the slewing of said jib while the machine is on the trolley, an air-driven motor independent of the cutting machine mounted on the trolley frame beyond the wheel-base and at that end of the frame remote from the jib-receiving portion, and a driving connection between the motor and the trolley wheels.

7. A fitting trolley for a coal-cutting machine comprising in combination a frame constructed to receive and support the machine, an air-driven motor independent of the coal-cutting machine mounted on the trolley frame, a driving connection between said motor and the trolley wheels including a power transmitting element surrounding said motor, and a combined clutch-and-reversing mechanism operable at will to control the transmission of the drive through the driving connection aforesaid.

8. A flitting trolley for a coal-cutting machine comprising in combination a frame constructed to receive and support the machine, an air-driven motor independent of the coal-cutting machine mounted on the trolley frame, a driving connection between said motor and the trolley wheels including a power transmitting element surrounding said motor and rotatable on an axis parallel to the truck wheel axes, and a combined clutch-and-reversing mechanism operable at will to control the transmission of the drive through the driving connection aforesaid.

9. A flitting trolley for a. coal-cutting machine comprising in combination a plurality of pairs of wheels, a frame supported by said wheels and constructed'to receive and support the coal-cutting machine, an airdriven motor independent of said cutting machine mounted on the trolley frame, a driving connection between said motor and the trolley wheels, and a winding-drum mounted on the trolley frame and rotated by said trolley propelling motor, said drum and motor being arranged in the same trans verse zone on said trolley frame.

10. A flitting trolley for a coal-cutting machine comprising in combination a plurality of pairs of wheels, a frame carried by said wheels and arranged to support the cutting machine, a motor-driven drum mounted on the trolley frame, and a driving connection between the motor-driven drum and the trolley wheels.

11. The combination with a flitting trolley, of a coal cutting machine mounted thereon, an air-driven motor supported on the trolley and independent, of the cutting machine, said motor having a power transmitting element rotating on an axis transverse to the truck, and spaced longitudinally of said truck from said coal cutting machine, and a driving connection between the motor and the'trolley wheels.

12. The combination with a coal-cutting machine of the pivoted-jib type, of a flitting trolley having a. frame carried upon wheels and supporting the coal-cutting machine substantially directly over the wheel base, the portion of the frame adjacent to the machine jib being sufiiciently open to 'permit of the slewing of said jib, an airdriven motor independent of the coal-cutting machine mounted on the trolley frame beyond the wheel-base and at that end of the frame remote from the machine jib, and a driving connection between the motor and the trolley wheels.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

GILBERT RIMMER. 

